| By Alexander of Volzhsky | See other fanon and fan fiction works from Alexander of Volzhsky. |
Tianpei was the second sovereign of the Earth Kingdom, who succeeded the first Earth King Zhengfu following his death in 1,173 BG.
History
Early life
Born to King Zhengfu and his wife in 1,191 BG, Tianpei was groomed to be the next ruler of the Earth Kingdom by his father from an early age. However, Zhengfu decided to send his son to the Fire Nation as an ambassador of the Earth Kingdom in 1,175 BG to teach him diplomacy. This resulted in him not making any allies in the imperial court of Ba Sing Se, unlike his second son, Zetian, who spent more time in Ba Sing Se and later became the ambassador to the Water Tribe. Tianpei learned diplomacy very well and proved to be a skilled negotiator while in the Fire Nation, making several beneficial trade agreements with the Fire Lord.
However, it became clear that Tianpei was not suited for the court politics and military campaigning that was required of Earth Kings to keep the newly-formed empire together. He was, by nature, a diplomat, not a general or a politician. Tianpei's brother Zetian on the other hand shared their father's talents for tactics and strategy as well as his ambition. He plotted with the nobles of the imperial court to make himself the Earth King once Tianpei took the throne after Zhengfu's death. However, Zhengfu foresaw some of this, and although he was not necessarily against sibling rivalry, he still built up a sizable support base for his elder son, to give him a chance. He also realized it was a mistake to send him to the Fire Nation at this time and had him recalled, while sending Zetian to the Water Tribe as Kingdom's ambassador.
Reign as Earth King
When Zhengfu died in 1,173 BG, Tianpei succeeded him and became the second Earth King. He was able to take over in Ba Sing Se with Zetian off in the Water Tribe as the Earth Kingdom ambassador. However, his younger brother was able to return since the noble in charge of foreign affairs supported him over Tianpei. His brother immediately began scheming, but Tianpei sent him off on a campaign in the Si Wong Desert (as he was a colonel in the army). During the years of his reign, Tianpei oversaw the expansion of infrastructure and several economic reforms in the Earth Kingdom that improved its economy. The size of Ba Sing Se doubled under his reign, and the infrastructure around the country greatly improved. A highway system was under construction by the time of his assassination.
In 1,168 BG, his brother Zetian led a coup d'état against him with army troops loyal to him. He was further aided by the high nobles that supported him. Tianpei's Royal Earthbender Guards were unable to hold off all of them, and Tianpei was captured by Zetian's soldiers. His brother called him weak and had him executed in the palace courtyard. A day later, Zetian was crowned as the new Earth King.
Personality
Tianpei was a diplomat by nature, not a soldier, and was not a particularly skilled politician. He was considered to be a weak ruler, and he personally never wanted to be a monarch, but just a civil servant.
Trivia
- Tianpei is based on various kaisers of the Goldenbaum dynasty in the anime Legend of Galactic Heroes that did not last long on the throne. A picture of Richard I is used to depict him.
- He is named after Guan Tianpei, a Chinese admiral of the Qing dynasty who fought in the First Opium War.
| Preceded by Zhengfu |
Earth King 1,173 — 1,168 BG |
Succeeded by Zetian |
| Preceded by Position established |
Earth Ambassador to the Fire Nation 1,175 — 1,173 BG |
Succeeded by Unknown |
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